Can opener



m 1931. s. w. DAVIS L A'w CAN OPENER Filed Nov. 8, 1926 Ra a. 2 @16- INVENTOR y Attorney Patented Mar. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT: orrics SEWELL W. DAVIS, 01? NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR '10 POLLY WIGGIN, ENG, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE GAN GPENER Application filed November t, 1926. Serial Hp. 146,920.

This invention relates to can openers, and

provides a can opener which is rapid in operation, easy to manipulate, applicable alike to opening round and so-called square cans, and which is of simple construction and eco nomical to manufacture.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Y 1a 'Figure l'is a plan view of one side;

Fig. 2 is a plan view'of the other side; and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line H1-III,Fig. 1, the parts being enlarged, and shown in operative relation with 15 a can.

The invention comprises a pair of levers.

10, 11, one of which carries a driving wheel or roller 12, and the other of which carries a rotary cutter 13', the driving roller 12 and no the cutter 13 being adapted to be pressed against the can on opposite sides of the seam X, the driving roller 12 pressed against the seam and the cutter 13 penetrating the metal just below the seam. The cutter 13 and roll- 2 or 12 may be arranged so as to effect cutting from either side. As shown, the driving roller engages the lower partof the seam at the outside of the can, and the cutter penetrates the top closely alon "side of the seam.

The levers 10, 11 are pre erably in the form of fiat strips of metal, and they are pivoted together, as indicated at 14. A plate 15 attaohed to one of the levers (here shown as the lever as by means of rivets 16. And a stud projecting from the plate and passing through a hole in the lever 10 serves for pivotally connecting the levers. The plate 15 serves as a guide and support for the lever 11, preventing. deflection of the lever. A. finger 17 may also be provided on the lever 10 adapted toproject over the lever 11', when the levers are moved together, and thereby serve to prevent deflection of the levers.

The driving roller 12 is in'the form of an inverted truncated cone, having its circumferential sides provided with teeth 18 or otherwise roughened in order to better engage the seam without slipping and thereby produce a better driving action of the opener around the-can. This driving wheel 12 may ill) be fixed on a short stud shaft 19, preferably "formed integrally therewith, and which fits and turns in ahole 21 through the lever 10.

wheel 12, (and thereby driving the can-.

opener with the cutter 13 thereon around the can) provides a means which may be turned quickly and with ease to efiect the rapid cutting of the can all around the seam. The conical form of the driving roller 12 results in the contact between the roller and metal of the-can being substantially along a line or succession of points, and it has been found in practice that with this construction the slight irregularities which exist in the seamed cans do not cause noticeable or appreciable binding of the driving roller when driven by. hand through a short lever or crank. Fur- -thernacre, the tendency of the conical driving roller is to draw the tool toward the can, rather than away from it or to run ofl. thereby taking strain off of the side of the cutter, and consequently preventing excessive resistance or binding. Hence the driving roller may be driven steadily and easily with very moderate strength. and the opener is capable of being held steadily by one hand of the user while he or she is using the other hand to turn the crank or lever attached to the driving 'roller 12, and tippingforces which would spill the contents of can avoided.

Furthermore, these functional results euables the mechanical structure to be made lighter and cheaper than without the improved features.

In attaching the hand-crank 25 to the studshaft 19 the latter may be provided with a reduced threaded portion'23, projecting beyond the rear face of the plate 15, and the handcrank is fastened directely to the threaded projection 23. The shoulder-21 between the reduced threaded portion 23 and the larger part of the stud-shaft 19 projects slightly beyond the rear face of the plate 15. and when the crank 25 is screwed tightly against this shoulder 2A, it is held slightly spaced from llill such rear face of plate 15, and binding thereby prevented.

The cutter 13 is preferably in the form of a disk having a sharp edge 30, having a sleeve or hub 32, which fits and turns on a spindle or stud 35 projecting transversely from one side of the lever on which it is mounted, the stud 35 and the stud-shaft 21 both projecting from the same sides of the levers, and the knife-edge 30 of the cutter is arranged slightly beyond the end of the driving wheel, so as to leave a space approximately equal to the thickness of the metal of the can between the plane of engagement of the end of the driving wheel 14 and the plane of the cut produced by the cutter 30. The hub 32 operates as a roller and is preferably arranged to make contact with the top of the seam, when in use, and the frictional contact of the hub 32 with the can seam aids in turning the cutter 13 as the opener is driven around the seam by the driving wheel.

The proximity of the two adjacent edges of the levers 10, 11 in operative position is preferably regulated by a stop 34 which determines the relative positions of the driving wheel 12 and cutter 13, in use. As the height of the seam X varies with different cans, this stop is preferably in the form of a strap slidable lengthwise of the lever on which it is mounted. A projection or teat 33 struck up from the lever is a means of keeping the stop 34 .from slipping off the end of the lever and becoming detached or lost.

The axes of the stud-shaft 19 and of the stud 35 are preferably arranged to converge as shown; By this arrangement the cutter 13 may be beveled on both sides of its cutting edge 30, and the cutting edge may toein in such a way as to penetrate and cut the metal close to the seam. It also better adapts the cutter to cut on short arcs, as at the corners of so-called square cans, as the chords across the cutter at all lines above the slit stand away from the seam when cutting on the inside of the seam) and therefore the cutter does not come in contact with the seam above the chord crossing the cutter along the line where the cutter passes through the metal. Binding of the cutter on the sides of the seam is thereby avoided. This arrangement also provides for the end face of the driving wheel 12 being held spaced from the adjacent face of the can, only the corner making contact with the can, and thereby binding of the driving wheel on the can avoided.

The levers 10, 11, as shown, are preferably arranged to turn or approach one another in one plane, and in the embodiment illustrated the lever on which the cutter 13 is mounted is provided with a projection 37 sloping across the lever. This projection 37 may be formed as a bent-up portion of the strip forming the lever. and provides an integral and economically-formed construction.

The stud or spindle 35 asses through the lever 11 at the projection 3 and may be fixed thereon by means of a shoulder 39 hearing against one side of said lever and a nut 40 on an extension 42, of the stud or spindle bearing on the opposite side of said lever. The recess 44 formed by saidbent-up projection 37 forms a space for the nut 40 between the lever and plate 15.

The spindle or stud 35 has a head or enlargement 46 thereon beyond the cutter, which serves to hold the cutter on the spindle'and in the illustrated construction may also serve as a rest to bear against the can, and therefore as a means of fixing the position of the device during operation, whereby the fiat end face of the driving wheel 12 is held spaced from the can body and the cutter 13 is held diagonally with its portions above the line of slit also spaced from the inside edges of the seam, and binding of the cutter 13 and of the driving wheel 12 avoided.

0pemtz'0n.The opener is preferably placed on the can with the cutter and driving wheel on opposite sides of the seam. The two ends of the levers are pressed together, so as to cause the cutter to slit the can at or near the base of the seam. The toe or edge of the driving wheel 12 contacts with the metal at the seam. In the use of the illustrated construction, the opener is canted until the rest 46 bears on the top of the can, in which position the end face of the driving wheel 12 stands away from the side of the can, and the cutter also stands away from the inside edges of the seam above the line of slitting. The hand-crank 25 is then turned, which turns the driving wheel 12, which pulls the opener around the can, carrying the cutting wheel 13 with it and causing it to slit the can as the cutting wheel is carried around. The crank 25 may be turned quite rapidly and easily and the end of the can thereby easily and rapidly removed. There is no exertion of unusual force and thereby the opener may be held and manipulated with steadiness, there is no danger of cutting oneself, and the can-end may be completely removed leaving a smoothly cut edge on the can.

The idea of invention may receive other embodiments than that herein specifically illustrated and described.

What is claimed is 1. A can opener, comprising a pair of levers, a cutter rotatably mounted on one of said levers on a transverse axis, a driving wheel mounted on the other lever also on an axis transverse thereof, said axes converging, said levers being arranged to be graspcd and held with said driving wheel bearing against one side of the seam running around the upper end of the can, and with the cutter pressed through the metal of the can at the side opposite said driving wheel, and means for rotating said driving wheel, said levers comprising metal strips, a plate fastened to one base perpendicular to the axis of said of said levers the other lever being pivoted to g V d-IOHGIS- said plate and moving in the plane of said other lever, said lever carrying said cutter having a crosswise sloping projection thereon, and a studon said sloping projection carrying said rotary cutter, said driving wheel havin a stud running through the lever carrying sautl1 wheel, and a hand-crank fixed to said stu 1 2. A can-opener, comprising a pair of levers, a cutter rotatably mounted on one of said levers on a transverse axis, a driving wheel mounted 'on the other lever also on an axis transverse thereof, said axes converging, said levers being arranged to be grasped and held with said driving wheel bearing against one side of the seam running around the upper end of the can, and with the cutter pressed through the metal of the can at the side opposite said driving wheel, and means for rotating said driving wheel, said lever carrying said cutter comprising a metal strip having a cross-wise sloping projection thereon and a stud on said sloping projection carrying said rotary cutter, said stud having a projection beyond said cutter, adapted to rest on the can, and determine the angle at which said device is to be held in use.

3. A can opener of the hand-supported type comprising a pair of hand-levers, means thereon for bearing upon a can-seam from opposite sides, one of said means comprising a frustro-conical driving wheel having teeth on its conical side arranged lengthwise and running through the edge at the base of the cone, said driving wheel adapted to bear on said seam at its toothed edge, a cutter, said driving wheel and cutter being separate and a hand-crank adapted to turn said driving wheel, said toothed edge of said driving wheel turning on said can with small resistance, and thereby providing for the easy turning of said hand-crank and a steady support of said can opener in the hands of the user during the turning of said crank.

4. A can-opener according to claim 3, further including a rest projecting from one of the levers and adapted to make contact with the can body when the face of said driving wheel is at an angle of approximately to the adjacent face of the can.

5. A can-opener according to claim 3 wherein said bearing means further comprises a grooved roller arranged to turn on an axis converging toward the axis of said toothed driving wheel.

6. A can-opener according to claim 3,

wherein said bearing means further comprises a grooved roller arranged to" turn on an axis converging toward the axis of said toothed driving wheel, said levers comprising strips of fiat material, one of which is provided with a cross-wise sloping projection providing a In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name. 

